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No Harm, No Parm?


What happened to the Ellicott City Eggplant? I was a fan. The sculpture, entitled “Aubergine”, was the work of artist Jan Kirsch. It won the 2015 Art Sites competition and was on display in front of the Howard County Tourism Center on Main Street in Old Ellicott City during that year.

At some point it went away. Then, in 2018 it was brought back by a group called the Fund for Art in Ellicott City. 

Art in Ellicott City is THRILLED to announce the completion of its first project on Main Street, the return of the Ellicott City eggplant! As you know, Jan Kirsh's wonderful eggplant sculpture stood in front of the Welcome Center as part of the Art Sites program some years back.  It became a community favorite for photo ops and selfies, and many of us missed it when it left.  Now it's BACK!  


6/10/20 

In 2020 The Fund for Art in Ellicott City announced that the Eggplant had been briefly kidnapped!

Hey guys, did you hear?  The Ellicott City Eggplant had a big night last night!   He was kidnapped! He’s safely back home and looks only a little worse for wear.   He’s keeping his mouth shut, though — we can’t get him to tell us about his adventures! Maybe he wasn’t kidnapped at all, maybe he snuck out town for a little R&R. Maybe he had a date night — with that beautiful peach in Annapolis. Maybe he rode the railroad cars like a hobo. Maybe he went rafting down the Patapsco to cool off. We may never know.


7/18/20

I noticed that, in January of that same year, The Eggplant was seen sporting one lone googly eye. What’s up with that?

1/25/20

But when the Howard County Tourism Center reopened after renovations in December, 2023: no Eggplant.

12/2/23

Noooooo! Where’s my eggplant? 

What’s this?

Robert the Eggplant is back ! Now greeting visitors at The Wine Bin. - - Historic Ellicott City by Air Facebook page.


12/7/2023


If you look closely you’ll see some troubling damage to the stem. Did The Eggplant sustain injury during the renovations at the Tourism Center? Or was it damaged in transport?



Q: Did we ever hear what happened to the eggplant? Where’d it go and why?

A: I think he went on vacation following his unceremonious removal from the Welcome Center. He seems OK with the rejection and is glad that he’s now at the Bin.

It must be hard to be an on-again, off-again eggplant in Old Ellicott City. I’m beginning to feel as though there may be two camps over there as to whether the dear old aubergine is a work of art or an embarrassment. 

I’m definitely Team Eggplant. Although - - I always thought it was a girl. Hmm…

What do you think?


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